This recording of an OK2Ask online professional learning session from September 2018, opens in Adobe Connect. Technology in the classroom can foster engagement and higher order thinking. When strategically infused into lesson plans designed with sound instructional practices, technology can provide challenging, collaborative, and creative experiences. Learn how to transform your lesson plans by applying the SAMR Model in conjunction with resources available on the TeachersFirst website. Participants will: 1. Understand the SAMR Model and its importance to the lesson planning process; 2. Locate resources within TeachersFirst that support lesson planning in your content area; and 3. Plan to use TeachersFirst's resources and the SAMR Model in combination to plan effective technology-infused lessons. This session is appropriate for teachers at all technology levels.

In the Classroom

The archive of this teacher-friendly, hands-on webinar will empower and inspire you to use learning technology in the classroom and for professional productivity. As appropriate, specific classroom examples and ideas have been shared. View the session with a few of your teaching colleagues to find and share new ideas. Find additional information and links to tools at the session resource page. Learn more about OK2Ask and upcoming sessions here.

This archived Twitter chat is from September 2018 and will open in TweetChat. The title of this chat is - Tech Tools for Parent Communication. Through this chat participants will: 1. Define and explore basic principles of effective communication, 2. Share ways to share classroom experiences with parents, and 3. Share tech tools to facilitate school/home communication. Find great tools and resources to improve parent/teacher communication.

In the Classroom

Improve your parent/teacher communication! Share this chat with your colleagues looking for sites and information related to digital communication with parents. Explore the various tools that are shared.

Create learning games for use on any device using oodlu. Create an account to begin creating question sets. Take advantage of many different question formats including sequencing, multiple choice, and fill in the blank. Optional features provide the ability to add different forms of feedback to guide students when making incorrect choices. When finished, share the code with students to access the learning games. Students sign in using their username, password, and the code provided. As students complete activities, they earn award badges. Use the teacher dashboard to review and monitor student achievements. Free accounts an include an unlimited number of students and questions.

In the Classroom

Use oodlu to differentiate learning in your classroom. Assign questions sets to different groups of learners according to their specific needs. Be sure to show students how to log in and access questions, then include a link to the site on your class webpage for students to play at home. At the end of your learning unit, augment the lessons by asking students to plan a multimedia presentation using a tool like SuperNotecard, reviewed here, where you can turn your notes into a storyboard! Include modification by using the Storyboard to create a multimedia presentation tool like Sway, reviewed here, to share their learning using. Have students include text, images, videos, and a link to oodlu learning games in the Sway.

Ryeboard is a virtual whiteboard for desktop computers. This tool currently includes options for adding images, text, and drawings using the widgets on the menu. Choose any option and drag it onto the whiteboard surface. Follow the prompts to add information. Grab the corner on your entries to resize or move around to a different spot on the whiteboard space. Ryeboard also includes a basic photo editor to rotate and crop images. Whiteboards automatically save to your account, turn on the sharing option to copy the URL and share with others.

In the Classroom

Ryeboard is perfect for those times that you need to organize information and ideas in one place, but you don't need a lot of fancy options. Use this tool to save and organize images for use with class digital projects. Create a whiteboard with an image of each student in your class, add a text box with notes then share with a substitute to have a quick overview of the class. Ryboard is easy enough to use with younger students and ESL/ELL students. For technology integration at the substitution level, create a board with images and have students use the text box to label the images and add additional information. For example, when studying animals upload several images of animals and have students add a text box naming the animal and sharing information about their habitat or adding a label to classify as birds, mammals, reptiles, etc. Augment the this by having older students create a whiteboard for a group project, and share the URL with their partner or group members. Those students can then take a screenshot of the whiteboard using Screencast-o-matic, to insert their comments and ideas, and post the screenshot on their own Ryeboard.

InsertLearning is an extension for Chrome Browsers that allows you to turn any website into an interactive lesson. Install the extension on Chrome, then click on the icon to use on any webpage. InsertLearning's pop-up offers features to add questions, highlights, comments, and even add a sticky note with an embedded video into selected portions of the webpage. Add a discussion for students to share their perspectives and respond to conversation prompts. When finished, share with students using Google Classroom. The free pricing option offers five lessons with an unlimited number of students.

In the Classroom

Install InsertLearning for use with online newspapers, magazines, and primary sources. Create quizzes to share with students through Google Classroom. Differentiate learning by using this browser extension to create different prompts for groups of students. Use InsertLearning to help ESL/ELL and special education students understand difficult material by highlighting and defining vocabulary found in websites. Take advantage of the instant feedback received from student responses to provide interventions on the spot. Use InsertLearning in a blended classroom as a flipped learning experience or as an introduction to any new unit.

Deck.Toys is an interactive lesson creation site that works with your existing content. Use the site's drag and drop features to build lessons using your PPT and Google Slides. Add differentiation features within self-exploration paths. Other options include teacher-sync, turn this feature on, and all students are synced to your current slide. Deck.Toys also includes student progress reporting in real-time and a comprehensive lesson report. Included with the free option are two classrooms, up to three private decks, unlimited public decks, and the ability to assign up to two classroom decks at a time. Be sure to watch the tutorials and take advantage of the site's FAQ section to get started.

In the Classroom

Use Deck.Toys to create gamified learning activities for all students. Deck.Toys is perfect for creating mini-lessons for students to explore during center time or as a flipped classroom activity. Use to remediate and enrich lessons for struggling learners or as an enrichment activity for gifted learners.

Notejoy is a collaborative note-taking and sharing resource for teams. Create a note for a group and receive real-time updates. Features include checklists, upload of images and documents, and discussions. Quickly see who's viewed your notes and use emojis to respond or participate in threaded chats. Notejoy integrates with several major platforms including Google Drive and Microsoft Office. After signing up for Notejoy, follow the prompts to add your team name and emails of team members. Use your dashboard to create, share, and view notes. Free plans offer up to 10 users per library, up to 3 team libraries, and individual uploads up to 10 MB with a total storage of up to 100 MB.

In the Classroom

Use Notejoy to work collaboratively with your peers. Share discussions on lesson planning, field trip preparation, and professional development sessions. Take advantage of the checklists to assign and track completion of projects. Share Notejoy with older students to use when working on group projects to help plan and complete tasks on time. ESL/ELL and resources teachers can use this with teachers of students who are mainstreamed.

Can you type for three minutes without stopping for more than five seconds? How about five minutes or longer - up to an hour? This website tests your writing persistence. Choose how long you want to write or how many words then start writing. If you hesitate for five seconds, all of your work disappears. However, if you make it to the set amount of time, you can download what you typed.

In the Classroom

The creator of this app states that it "is designed to shut down your inner editor and get you into a state of flow." Share the app with students to use as a non-threatening way to practice putting their thoughts down without worrying about grammar, spelling, or being graded. Use the app as part of brainstorming sessions before beginning writing projects. Instead of using paper and pencil for journal writing, use this site as students become more comfortable with non-stop typing for a set amount of time (or number of words).

Curate and share texts, documents, links, photos, and more with Netboard. Register and activate your account to begin. Choose "create" to begin a new page and begin adding content. Enter the URL for any website, upload information from your computer, or add text boxes. Personalize the look of your page using layout, font and background skin options. Save your Netboard and share the custom URL with others, privacy options allow others with the link to only view or contribute to your board and for boards to remain private.

In the Classroom

Use Netboard to curate and collect resources for any subject. Create a new board to share with students for each unit, for example, when teaching a unit on fantasy in literature share resources to examples of fantasy writing, student examples of writing, images to inspire fantasy writing, and more. Have students create a Netboard to accompany any research project and ask them to include a link to all resources they used as part of their research.

Create, personalize, and share online forms using Wufoo's form builder tools. Choose from a wide variety of templates for surveys, RSVP's, expenses, and more or create your own form from scratch. The free plan includes up to five forms,10 fields, and 100 entries. Share your form when finished and Wufoo sends you email notifications as responses are posted.

In the Classroom

Use Wufoo to create response forms for any classroom need. Take advantage of the templates to invite parents to class or school events. Have students develop surveys using Wufoo and then analyze the results. Use order forms to collect money for field trips or to sell school t-shirts or memorabilia.

These are collections of language arts lesson plans from the Columbia Education Center, Portland, Oregon. They are grouped by grade level, with very brief descriptions for each plan. Most plans were submitted by teachers from the Pacific Northwest.

In the Classroom

Save this site as a favorite, and use it as a resource to find a variety of lesson plans when in need of some fresh material. There are all grade levels here, so be sure to pass it along to any other English teachers who may be interested in new material.

Build dynamic, animated presentations easily with Beautiful.AI's smart templates and designs. Use your images or choose from the site's database of millions of stock photos and icons. Beautiful.AI places images automatically in the most visually appealing place on a slide; however, it also offers additional choices for placement. Use the share option to add collaborators, or share through public and private options. Export finished presentations as a PDF or PowerPoint when completed.

In the Classroom

Share Beautiful.AI with students to use for presentations as an alternative to Google Slides or PowerPoint. Use this tool for your flipped or blended learning lessons and student multimedia presentations. Challenge your writers to create short stories that include their artwork, and publish with slides. Beautiful.AI is a great resource for your BYOD classroom.

Adobe Spark offers this version of it's popular presentation tool, reviewed here, specifically for education. Use Spark to create web pages, video presentations, and graphics using the available templates and graphics tools. The Education version provides enhanced data privacy, the ability for students to log in with an existing school id, and school administration of accessibility features. In addition, Spark for Education includes many lessons for all grade levels. Spark is available through your school's Adobe Admin Counsel if your IT team already uses Adobe products. If not, follow directions on the site to set up and begin using this tool.

In the Classroom

Use Spark for Education to create videos of student presentations for any subject. Create videos of images taken during science experiments and class field trips to share on your website. Modify student learning by asking students to create infographics explaining facts and information about states, countries, planets, and more. Have students create interactive posters, book report covers, invitations, and flyers to promote school events. Spark offers many possibilities for graphics and redefining student learning by having students create multimedia presentations in all classrooms.

Renderforest is a video and animation creation tool. Easily create introductions for YouTube videos, animations, and slideshows using the site's free templates. Free accounts allow you to create an unlimited number of 360p videos up to 3 minutes long, 500mb storage, and a limited number of music tracks. Follow the step by step instructions for adding backgrounds, images, and music or your recordings to create videos. After publishing the video use the provided links to share it on YouTube or social media sites or download to your computer.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

Use Renderforest for any number of video creation projects in your classroom. Use the intro video tools to add professional looking introductions to your YouTube creations. The animated video tool is a great resource for creating animated video explanations of science projects, world history events, or discussions of characters in novels. Use the slideshow creation tool to share classroom events and pictures from field trips. Have students use Renderforest to create a video, then include their video with other information in a multimedia project using Adobe Spark for Education, reviewed here.

This recording of an OK2Ask online professional learning session from August 2018, opens in Adobe Connect. There are many technology tools available for classroom use, but which ones are teachers' favorites? This session will share and compare some of TeachersFirst contributors' favorite resources. Help us decide which tool is the session winner of our Smackdown! Participants will: 1. Learn about and compare some of TeachersFirst contributors' favorite technology tools; 2. Evaluate uses for one or more tools for classroom use; and 3. Share ideas for using resources with other participants. This session is for teachers at ALL technology comfort levels.

In the Classroom

The archive of this teacher-friendly, hands-on webinar will empower and inspire you to use learning technology in the classroom and for professional productivity. As appropriate, specific classroom examples and ideas have been shared. View the session with a few of your teaching colleagues to find and share new ideas. Find additional information and links to tools at the session resource page. Learn more about OK2Ask and upcoming sessions here.

This archived Twitter chat is from August 2018 and will open in TweetChat. The title of this chat is - Keep Calm and Chat: All Things Back to School!. Through this chat participants will: 1. Share resources and ideas for a successful start to back to school, 2. Discuss instructional trends or "hot topics" for the 2018-2019 school year, and 3. Share management strategies for how to create an organized and successful start to the year. Find great tools and tips to GOTAGS (Get off to a GREAT start).

In the Classroom

Ready or not - - summer is almost over and school is back in session! Learn about tools and tips for getting the school year started right! Share this chat with your colleagues looking for sites and information. Explore the various tools that are shared.

WordsLiive is a lesson building tool that combines anchor texts with literary concepts and matching popular music videos. Follow the steps to build a lesson - final lessons include teaching notes, slides, and standards-aligned assessments. Begin building your lesson with a classroom text or literary concepts. Use the search feature to find titles and authors. When complete, save to your account and access the finished product at any time. Lessons build into prepared slides to share on your interactive whiteboard. WordsLiive uses the "clean" version of included songs and music by removing questionable language. Some videos still include suggestive content, be sure to preview all videos and song lyrics found in lessons you create.

In the Classroom

Use WordsLiive to build engaging literature lessons that appeal to students through the use of music they enjoy. After creating and sharing a lesson, use it as a model for students to find their own examples of literary features found in music and poetry. Upon completion of your unit, make a class book featuring music matched to literacy concepts using Book Creator, reviewed here. Book Creator allows students to combine their books for a class book. It includes many tools for creating online digital books that include images, videos, and more. Consider working together with your school's music teacher to create a cross-curricular unit featuring music and literacy concepts.

Inspired by road trips from the past, this quirky infographic shares facts from literary road trips of famous authors. Featured authors include Hunter Thompson, Jack Kerouac, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and others. Each portion of the infographic includes route length, travel time, and starting and end points. Additional information on this site includes a short description of the featured road trip including the name of the novel, period background, and a link to a map with the entire route.

In the Classroom

Use this infographic as a starting point for many activities. Have students create their own infographics using Canva, reviewed here, to share facts and information from novels they read. Use the included maps as inspiration and have students create a roadmap based on a novel. Google My Maps, reviewed here, includes tools for creating personalized maps and you can upload images to create a virtual field trip. Ask students to create a multimedia presentation using Sway, reviewed here, to share information about places featured in novels they read. With Sway, include maps, videos, and images to tell about the various locations or featured time periods.

Write a story and create interactive choose your own adventure games with StoryLab. After signing up using email and verification of your account, begin a story with the start page. Add links to items in your story to direct readers to different parts of the adventure. Be sure to watch the tutorial videos and visit the help pages for step by step directions on creating and sharing your games.

In the Classroom

Share StoryLab with students as an alternative to traditional story-writing projects. Because StoryLab features may not be intuitive to all users, consider sharing this site with a few tech-savvy students first and let them be the experts to help other students in creating books. Have older students create choose your own adventure books to discuss events in history. For example, when learning about Civil Rights, have students share options for what might happen if Martin Luther King hadn't been assassinated. Use these stories as a basis for student podcasts about moments in history and how different events shaped and changed history. Podcast Generator, reviewed here, includes features for recording and sharing podcasts.

Do you need a tool to quickly summarize long chunks of text? SummarizeThis is the answer. Just copy any section of text from online, PDFs, word documents, or where ever and paste it into SummarizeThis. Click the link to summarize, and the result appears immediately.

In the Classroom

Introduce SummarizeThis to students working on research projects as a way to quickly determine the content and viability of using websites. Use to differentiate instruction with students. Use with learning support students as a resource to make content more accessible. Use the summaries when teaching how to summarize in an ELA class. Compare the summary you create as a class or in small groups with the "automated" one. Are there subtleties or important distinctions that this tool misses? As a challenge for your more critical thinkers, have them try to figure out what signals the tool uses to create its summary.